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4th SUNDAY IN
LENT
We have three excellent, made-for-preaching passages that await
us for the 4th Sunday in Lent. The epistle and gospel lesson are
thematically related-both share the metaphor of darkness and light,
though the gospel lesson is less overt and more theological with the
metaphor. The first lesson offers us a lesson in king-making by
giving us a new piece of information and knowledge about God-persons
that God selects to serve have more to do with what’s going on in
the interior life than the exterior. God looks to the heart of the
matter.
1 Samuel 16:13-Heart of the Matter
King-making looms on the horizon in our first lesson as God
dispatches the seer Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king for
Israel. The meeting is clandestine and disguised since King Saul
would not be humored by Samuel’s search for a royal replacement.
But God has rejected Saul and so now Samuel must name a successor.
As it turns out king-selecting is not as easy as one would expect
as Samuel can attest. The learning curve? “The Lord does not see
as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord
looks on the heart” (v 16:7).
Psalm 23 -He will Never Leave us nor Forsake us
The Shepherd and Sheep becomes a metaphor for the relationship
between God and believer. Psalm 23 is a most familiar text to us; it
is usually proclaimed in a relational, idyll context about God
journeying through life with us, leading us, providing for us,
comforting us through all the twists and turns of life. Our passage
holds before us the metaphor of shepherd and sheep and suggests an
intimate relationship between the two that is described in terms of
an everlasting bond.
Ephesians 5:8-14-Concepts, Contrasts, and Indicatives
Paul shovels out a huge payload of old/new life contrasts,
theological concepts, and indicatives in seven brief verses. Part
I-the human condition without grace-includes trespasses/sins,
darkness/light, the ruler of the power of the air, passions,
desires, and wrath. However, with the conjunction “but,” Paul
shifts theological-speak to Part II-God’s mercy, love, new life,
grace, and kindness in Christ. Verses 9 and 10 serve as a summary
statement that places the saving and gracing of humanity in God’s
court, not ours.
John 9:1-41-Was Blind But Now I See
What a story in contrasts! One purportedly sight-challenged
person receives healing from Jesus-albeit in an extraordinary
way-and thus begins the journey toward seeing. But another group
of people-onlookers and religious leaders-refute the healing and
especially challenge the claims attributed to Jesus. Thinly veiled
is the writer’s real story-behind-the-story: when it comes to
truth, sometimes the blind see and the seeing ones are blind. A
complete reversal occurs so that by the end of the story the
formerly blind man sees more, has more insight about who Jesus is,
than do the seeing persons. The man’s confession admits
increasing amounts of light: from “the man named Jesus,” to
“prophet,” and finally to “Lord.”
